[Sent 9 November 2020 to my wife and our three daughters]
Good morning. And I use the salutation ‘good’ with added nuance/intensity, given the Biden/Harris victory announced over the weekend. Mom and I became emotional watching their speeches Saturday night. The rapid expressions of congratulations from international leaders suggest an encouraging readiness to move past their bruising/disillusioning experience with the US during the Trump years. The failure for other than already marginalized/exiled Republican Party representatives to do so is disappointing but not surprising.
We are certainly sharing in the widespread celebration (and relief!) evident across the country. Sadly but necessarily, we must also candidly assess the implications associated with 70+ million (47+%) voting for Trump even after a four-year avalanche of indecency, crudity, dishonesty, ignorance, recklessness, degradation, brutality, injustice. And we must not overlook the evidence that elections -- federal, state, and local -- below the presidential elections widely moved to the right (some -- such as Iowa according to a friend who lives there -- lurching very far to the right). My sense is that most among the 70+ million (47+%) Trump voters hardly ever (or never) consult public broadcasting news outlets, major network (i.e., ABC, NBC, CBS) news outlets, major city newspapers, international new outlets, or even late-night TV comedian commentaries.
The metaphor that penetrates most deeply into the present for me is to view the Biden/Harris election as someone grabbing the emergency break in an out-of-control car. The point -- the US voting population had sufficient alarm and courage to come to a screeching/abrupt halt, but it is yet to be determined if there will be an enduring change of direction. I am cautiously hopeful that the Senate links/relationships both Biden and Harris have will result in some degree of ‘across the aisle’ collaborations on the surging pandemic, on severe economic inequities, on deeply embedded/systemic injustices, on shattered international alliances, and on environmental protection/repair strategies.
I am reminded of an ancient proverb I came across many years ago – “Be careful not to keep your nose from the grindstone for very long . . . it will begin to heal!” So let’s virtually raise a glass together joyfully toasting the Biden/Harris victory and then return to the places in our lives where we can make a tangible/perceptible difference for peace and justice.
Doug/Dad